CHERUB: The Vampire With Bunny Slippers

CHERUB is a slapstick parody of Joss Whedon's ANGEL, released as an internet video series by Seattle-based Caution Zero Network. I was the creator / director / head writer. Season One featured twelve 4-7 minute episodes about the adventures of Cherub, the vampire with bunny slippers (played by Basil Harris of "Awesome"), and his gang at Cherub Investigations - the aspiring actress Charity Case (played by my lovely wife Jen Moon), the arcane expert Jasper Windham-Hill, the muscle man Roger Pipebomb, and the inter-dimensional traveler Barney. Season Two raises the stakes (so to speak), with dramatically improved production values, more ambitious episodes, and wackier villains and situations - including appearances by Cherub's old friend Edmond the Squeaky (otherwise known as Squeak), the irrepressible wiccan Wallow, and an iPod that turns Cherub into a roll of toilet paper. The series is at once a wild send-up and loving homage of Whedon's vampire with a soul. Season Two features thirteen 7-10 minute episodes that promise a wide range of "hijinks", "hilarity", and "just what exactly were they thinking" - including a crazy zombie episode that was shot all in one take.

SEASON ONE

EPISODE ONE: "NOT HELPLESS, JUST LAZY", written by Scotto - A simple assignment to rescue a lost kitty turns into a nightmarish confrontation with Cherub's arch-nemesis, Johnny Mildly-Irritating. Also, the gang runs out of gin and panic ensues.

EPISODE TWO: "SWEET, SWEET LEMONY GOODNESS", written by Scotto - Jasper and Charity rush to save a helpless woman trapped in a lemon meringue dimension; and a glimpse into Cherub's past demonstrates his "taste" for the ladies.

EPISODE FOUR: "A GOOD ADJUSTMENT", written by Scotto - Cherub is confronted by an old flame from the past, Muffy the Vampire Chiropractor; and the diabolical plans of Cherub's nemesis, Johnny Mildly-Irritating, are revealed.

EPISODE FIVE: "MY EVIL UNDEAD STUD", written by Scotto - In a desperate race against a good back rub, Muffy the Vampire Chiropractor rushes to save Cherub before he reverts to evil.

EPISODE SIX: "FLAMING STICKS OF FURY", written by Scotto - As Charity leaves for her audition, a terrible vision of a weird-looking thing threatens the future of Cherub Investigations; and a pal from Roger Pipebomb's old neighborhood drops by to let Roger know that he's missing out on "the struggle." (With special appearance by Brady Forrest.)

EPISODE EIGHT: "MMM, EGGPLANT GOOOOOD!", written by Scotto - The evil lawyers from Dogboy & Goat take possession of the mysterious Orange of Mystery - what calamity will befall Cherub Investigations now? Meanwhile, Charity returns from her audition with terrible news, and Cherub reconnects with his old pals Charlize Theron and Ashley Judd.

EPISODE TEN: "THOSE LIPS ARE A NATIONAL TREASURE", written by Scotto - As the gang struggles to uncover the meaning of the ancient Prophecy of Propheticness, Charity receives word that she is to become the Super Mega Fresh Girl, in a very special "clip show" episode of CHERUB.

EPISODE ELEVEN: "WE ALREADY KIND OF HATE YOU", written by Scotto and Paul Gude - Cherub makes a daring last minute effort to foil the evil plans of Dogboy & Goat, but those rascally lawyers have a nasty surprise up their sleeves, in the penultimate episode of CHERUB Season One!

EPISODE TWELVE: "BUY YOUR OWN DAMN SUGAR!", written by Scotto - As Cherub faces off against his somewhat menacing son Connie, a far more menacing menace arrives for some menacing, in the relatively menacing finale of CHERUB Season One!

FEATURETTE: "WHAT IS THIS STUPID THING?" - Meet some of the folks responsible for the horrible train wre-- er, excuse me, I meant, the fantastic smash hit known as CHERUB, the Vampire With Bunny Slippers. Find out what makes them tick - so that you can avoid their fate.

FEATURETTE: "QUALITY IS JOB THREE OR FOUR" - Take a tour behind the scenes of CHERUB Season One in this special featurette. We worked terribly hard to produce each episode of CHERUB; none of that work is actually on display in this featurette, of course, but you'll get the idea.

FEATURETTE: "EVERY EFFECT IS SPECIAL" - Get a look at how the CHERUB cast and crew pulled off some of the highlights of Season One, in this exciting behind-the-scenes featurette. Well, if by "highlights" you mean watching us play with lemon meringue for our "art".

FEATURETTE: "DO YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THESE? (THE BLOOPERS)" - It may surprise you to learn that the cast and crew of CHERUB did not achieve each take perfectly on the first try. This harrowing behind-the-scenes featurette documents the often intense and brutal struggles these artists faced as they attempted to make indy TV magic.

FEATURETTE: "ERRATA" - What was it like on the set of CHERUB? In this enlightening featurette, you'll get a glimpse into a world of backstage excitement and intrigue, as the motley Caution Zero troupe charged through its first "guerilla sitcom" shoot.

SEASON TWO

TRAILER - Season Two of CHERUB gets off to a roaring start with this exciting Season Two trailer, suitable for all your "gee I'd like to know what's going to happen this season without actually really learning much of anything!" needs. You'll get a glimpse into our exciting new characters, and a chance to reconnect with beloved familiar characters, all while very funky music plays lovingly in the background. What could be more enjoyable than that?

EPISODE THIRTEEN: "AIN'T NO MILDLY-IRRITATING FU!", written by Scotto - Cherub and his son Connie are compelled into battle by the Ancient Prophecy of Propheticness. But even as one menace faces them head on, the evil lawyers at Dogboy & Goat are secretly plotting revenge, in the form of Cherub's old nemesis, Edmond the Squeaky.

EPISODE FOURTEEN: "ZOMBIES!", written by Scotto - Season Two of CHERUB continues in high style, as the clubhouse is invaded by ZOMBIES! What else do you want?

EPISODE EIGHTEEN: "FREAKY BAR TV", written by Scotto - When Charity's agent drops her, she convinces Barney to send her to a parallel dimension in which she is the star of her own television show.

EPISODE NINETEEN: "DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB", written by Kelleen Conway-Blanchard - After Jasper loses the rent money on a date gone wrong, Dogboy & Goat threatens to evict Cherub Investigations unless they can come up with some serious cash in a hurry.

EPISODE TWENTY: "THE PUPPETS THAT BE", written by Chris Haddad - Cherub's old enemy, the vampire Squeak, returns to the clubhouse with a shocking surprise - and suddenly Cherub isn't the only set of bunny slippers in town.

EPISODE TWENTY-TWO: "GOD I HATE HIPPIES", written by Paul Gude & Ben Laurance - Our lovable hero Cherub has been transformed into the evil vampire Cherubus - and suddenly it's time for a serious bit of house-cleaning.

EPISODE TWENTY-THREE: "IN CASE OF EVIL, BREAK GLASS", written by Paul Gude & Ben Laurance - As Cherubus goes on a rampage, the gang at Cherub Investigations enlists an unlikely ally in their quest to bring back the Cherub they know and love - well, the Cherub they know, anyway.

After twenty-five episodes, seven featurettes, and two trailers spread across two seasons, shot in a total of sixteen days, stitching over 170 minutes of footage together during hundreds of pre- and post-production hours, produced from over 230 pages of script (yes, there was a script), featuring the hard & talented work of over seventy people, posting new content once a week from February 2nd until September 25th, 2006, and drawing nearly half a million downloads in the process... the grand adventures of CHERUB, the vampire with bunny slippers, eventually came to a close. Surprisingly, even after we stopped promoting the show, we saw continued interest for quite a while, as our total download count steadily edged toward a million before we ever got around to putting it on YouTube and Vimeo. It's no "light saber kid," but it's definitely got legs.

If you like it, be sure to check out the two-disc DVD release of both seasons of CHERUB. You'll get: high-resolution versions of each episode & featurette; new commentaries and featurettes for season two that aren't appearing on the web; and even an easter egg or two.